No sick leave in London private school- is this legal??

[starchildmum]

I am a teacher in a private school and all teachers are complaining. No sick leave during the first year, and no pay if absent. Is that possible?

This is mandatory and applies to all employment.

www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay

A bit of me feels sorry for you. The other bit is concerned that someone so lacking in elementary nous that can be got from Google is in charge of children's education.

Join a union. Learn to Google.

That was very rude, echt.

Rude but true

They probably mean pay on top of ssp

A lack of full pay is legal - they only have to pay the statutory sick pay.

No company sick pay in first year is what we have too, so zero pay for each first 3 days then £92ish a week after that.

It might mean no discretionary company sick pay. You’ll be entitled to statutory. Check your contract!

I’ve recently started a new teaching job at a London based private prep school, and was shocked to find out they don’t offer sick pay in the first 2 terms (although you do obviously get SSP after 3 days off sick at around £90 p/w). They still expect you to set cover work for the day you are not paid which I think is wrong. I work late into the evening almost daily, plus a day at the weekend, to keep on top of marking, planning, report writing and emails, so I feel that the least they could do is offer sick pay during the probation period, like most other employers.

@Huggsetsquare

If you are not getting paid...then you don't have to set work! Just say no! They cannot ask you to set work and not pay you...it's that simple.

Sorry, but don’t people check the terms and conditions before accepting a job?

Some independent schools can be shifty. Some want people to accept jobs before seeing contracts. It’s always well-advised to ensure you say you accept subject to seeing the formal contract. And don’t resign your current job until you’ve seen the contract and had any queries clarified.

Small private schools - beware of no Teacher Pension Scheme, poor sick pay and maternity and poor redundancy, along with daft expectations about hours. Watch out for those with falling roll and those that are very small or family run. Yes, the classes might be tiny and classroom mamangement easier, but all teachers ought to be able to get jobs with decent and standard conditions.

So if staff turn up when ill and infectious, more staff will become ill and possibly need to take time off. What a splendidly stupid management approach.

English law does indeed require SSP BUT statutory sick pay (which is more than I get as self employed!!) means no pay for the first 3 days continuously off sick and then a low statutory rate from day 4. This is lawful.

@echt

This is mandatory and applies to all employment.

www.gov.uk/statutory-sick-pay

A bit of me feels sorry for you. The other bit is concerned that someone so lacking in elementary nous that can be got from Google is in charge of children's education.

Join a union. Learn to Google.

What’s “elementary nous”?